Some are asking why the MPL did not bounce onto the surface like the highly successful Mars Pathfinder spacecraft of two years ago.

BBC: Mars 2 - Earth 0

Every landing we've had on Mars since Viking 30 years ago - Mars Pathfinder, even the Mars-exploration rovers Spirit and Opportunity - were based on Viking technology.

NPR: Revisiting the Viking Missions to Mars

During the summer of 1997, Holliman most recently served as the network's lead reporter for the Pathfinder mission to Mars.

CNN: The View from Space

He has reported as the space vehicle Pathfinder arrived on Mars and beamed live video of the planet's surface back to earth.

CNN: The View from Space

With the first week on Mars behind them, the scientists and engineers who put Pathfinder on the Red Planet say they have already met the major objectives set for the mission.

CNN: NASA says Pathfinder already has met objectives

Mars scientists determined that they could identify the landing site of the Pathfinder, but could not see the spacecraft or its parachute.

CNN: Mars Pathfinder enlisted in search for lost Polar Lander

The first wheeled vehicle to land on Mars was during NASA's 1997 Mars Pathfinder mission, which consisted of a stationary lander and a surface rover called Sojourner.

CNN: What we've done on Mars, and what's next

There have been three successful Mars lander missions, the Viking 1 and Viking 2 in 1976, and the Pathfinder in 1997.

CNN: Mars Pathfinder enlisted in search for lost Polar Lander